Southern China faces torrential rain, flood risk after Typhoon Noul hits land
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Noul, which means “the glow of sunrise or sunset” in Korean, is the 12th tropical cyclone in the Pacific in 2026 and the third to hit China in July.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Typhoon Noul hit southern China, causing heavy rain and strong winds, forcing over 700,000 people in Guangdong to relocate and triggering the highest flash flood alert in several provinces.
- The storm brought gale-force winds to Hong Kong, where the typhoon signal was downgraded from No. 8 to No. 3 as it weakened and moved inland.
- Flight operations at Hong Kong airport were suspended for over 12 hours but began resuming on the afternoon of July 26 amid ongoing heavy rains expected until July 28 across southern China.
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HONG KONG – Typhoon Noul will bring heavy to torrential rain across much of southern China for two days, the authorities said, after sweeping the province of Guangdong and neighbouring Hong Kong with gale-force winds, following landfall on July 26.
China declared its highest alert for flash floods in several provinces as the year’s strongest typhoon forced the relocation of more than 700,000 people in Guangdong, the authorities said.
The Ministry of Water Resources and the China Meteorological Administration jointly issued a red warning for flash floods.
From the evening of July 26 to July 27, flash floods are expected in parts of Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong, Sichuan, Shaanxi, Gansu and south-eastern Xinjiang.
The authorities warned residents to “pay attention to real-time monitoring, flood warning, and evacuation and risk avoidance prevention”.
The warning came after Noul, the year’s 12th tropical cyclone and China’s third in July, made landfall in Huidong county at about 3.50am, provincial officials said.
Noul, which means “the glow of sunrise or sunset” in Korean, is expected to bring strong winds and heavy rain to nearby provinces such as Jiangxi and Hunan as it moves inland, state broadcaster CCTV said, with rainfall likely to persist until July 28.
Some areas, including Fujian province, could see extremely heavy downpours.
The authorities urged local governments to pay special attention to flood-prone areas such as zones of mountains and rivers, building sites, valleys and bridges.
The typhoon is weakening as it moves inland, the Hong Kong Observatory said, though south-westerly gales pounded parts of the Asian financial hub, where the authorities downgraded the typhoon signal to No. 3 from No. 8 by afternoon.
Overnight, the storm had passed within 80km of Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong airport authorities said flight operations will gradually resume on the afternoon of July 26 after having been largely suspended for more than 12 hours. REUTERS
